Sample of Energy Rates

An electricity rate from the Atlanta area in Spring 1992 was 7.2¢ per kilowatt-hour. In the summer of 2001, the rate was 9.5¢/kwh. This compares with a lower winter rate for 2001 of 6.8¢/kwh. Natural gas billings are typically based on units of 1000 cubic feet and the energy content of a cubic foot varies somewhat but is just over a thousand BTU per cubic foot. Atlanta natural gas companies often quote energy in MBTU = 1000 BTU, the M being the Roman numeral for 1000. Based on a billing in which the energy content was 1.021 MBTU/cubic foot, a spring 1992 residential bill was $5.90 per 1000 cubic feet. After rising gradually for several years, natural gas prices rose dramatically in 2001, with a cost of $10.56 per 1000 cubic feet in January and $13.78 per 1000 cubic feet in the summer.

A ton of coal and a cord of wood have similar energy content, and although prices vary widely, around $100 for a ton of coal or a cord of wood was not untypical in 1990.

Houston Lighting and Power, with 1.38 million customers, quotes 8.3¢ per kwh average for 1990 in their annual report. Average annual use per residential customer was 13,849 kwh. They quote their fuel cost per MBtu as $1.79 for natural gas, $2.21 for coal, $1.60 for lignite, and $.58 for nuclear.